June 10, 2006 – U.S. nordic combined skiers opened their preseason training this week with their first jumps of the summer on the 75-meter jump at Howelsen Hill, which was carpeted with all-weather plastic late last summer. The hill and the training drew high marks.

“This was perfect, just such a good first week for us,” three-time Olympian Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) said as he headed into the final training session Friday at Howelsen.

“This hill in Steamboat will be a huge tool not only for Steamboat’s kids but, I think, for all jumpers in the U.S. It’s such a great development-level hill and, really, I think it’s the best K75 I’ve ever jumped.”

A $2.5 million project was ramrodded by Todd Wilson, nordic director of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club which is based at Howelsen, with the help of several dozen parents and supporters, plus the City of Steamboat Springs. They laid plastic on the landing hill, completing it last fall with enough time for locals to get in several days of jump training and setting the stage for a couple of training camps by the U.S. combiners, who were based in Steamboat until 2002, and the U.S. ski jumpers.

Weather contributes to successful camp
“We got a nice break from each other without any training this spring, so we’re healthy and ready to go. We got some good basic stuff in small groups this week and we’ll be back jumping in Park City on the weekend,” Demong said. The group made the five-hour drive back to Utah after the final session Friday afternoon.

Chris Gilbertson, jumping head coach for the Winter Sports Club until taking over as U.S. development coach for combined this spring, also was pleased with the hill, the jumping and the way in which his up-and-comers moved into the national picture.

“We’ve had great weather and we’ve gotten plenty of jumping in,” he said. “This has been primarily a jumping camp but we did have one intervals session. Everyone’s made progress this week and I’m sure it’ll carry over when we get back to the 100 [-meter jump] in Park City this weekend.”

He praised the hill “because, really, it’s the perfect size for making [technique] changes. We’d be pointing out to each athlete, ‘You need to make this change’ and everyone responded. It’s been so great to be on the hill and we’ll be back here.”

Demong noted Norwegian star Bjoern Romoeren, who has been training with the group, “told me he didn’t train anything by the K75 back home until last August. I feel, too, there’s more to be gained by jumping on this smaller hill than the [100-meter in] Park City’s ‘small’ hill. I can work more easily on my new details and get things going well in the preseason.”

He said the preseason training plan, as put together by new Head Coach Lasse Ottesen plus Gilbertson and World Cup Coach Dave Jarrett, is another step forward in the evolution of preseason. With combined blending ski jumping and cross country skiing, the preseason needs to have strong focus on both sides of the spectrum.

Annual reassessment of preseason training
“Every year,” according to Demong, “we’re trying to figure out how to refine the ultimate nordic combined training theory, and now we’re definitely going more toward periodization. One week is an intensity week and we’ll work on our ability to go fast [in cross country] where we might have intervals twice a day for seven or eight days. Then the next week we’ll be rebuilding something else, and then we’ll have a jump week with hardly no cross country training, almost nothing but a total focus on jumping.

“That can help us jump fresh and keep some intensity to that training. We need a key time for recovery, of course, and that lets everything take effect with your body. It can be a very productive method,” he went on, “but you really have to be committed to it. You can’t cop-out on that fourth or fifth day of intervals because you’re tired. Same with jumping – we may not jump as much overall, but we’ll have better quality jumping because we’re more fresh when we do train.”

Two-time Olympian Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) and fellow Olympian Brett Camerota (Park City, UT) were in Steamboat for the camp although their participation was limited. Spillane is recovering from reconstructive shoulder surgery while Camerota is nursing an injured wrist. Gilbertson said his latest medical checkup showed the 2003 sprint world champion’s right shoulder was healing nicely and he should resume jump training during the summer.

The Ski Team expects to return to Howelsen for a training camp during the Fourth of July timeframe.